When traditional fertility treatments fail, especially for patients with tubal disease, severe endometriosis, oligospermia and immunologic or unexplained infertility, in vitro fertilization technologies are often helpful. These techniques are, however, complex and require a team of specialists. Ovarian stimulation allows production of multiple oocytes which can then be retrieved by transvaginal ultrasound guided aspiration and handling of the oocytes to outside of the body. The oocytes can then be fertilized in vitro and transferred to the uterine fundus. Skill and specialized devices are required to manipulate and transfer oocytes and embryos during such procedures.
Glass pipettes are traditionally used in surgically assisted reproduction techniques such as in vitro fertilization, to collect and transfer genetic material. For example, glass pipettes are typically used to transfer the cumulus-oocyte-complex from the follicular aspirate to wash and culture media. Similarly, glass pipettes are used to transfer removed blastomere from a multi-celled pre-embryo to a slide or vessel for the purpose of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). Gibbons et al. 1995 Fertility and Sterility 63(4):723-8. Huang et al. 1997 Molecular Reproduction and Development 47(3):312-22. However, glass pipettes present major disadvantages in in vitro fertilization techniques including but not limited to, breakage, poor fluid transfer control, scratching of dishes and inflexibility.
The present invention provides a device for manipulation and transfer of cells present in a fluid media. The device is particularly useful in the transfer of cells such as oocytes and blastomeres during in vitro fertilization (IVF) and the transfer of cells for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedures.